You're Devin Hester, it's a Friday night, and you're at a local casino, minding your own business as you stand in line to cash out after a profitable night of gambling, when all of a sudden ...
Slap! Right to the back of your head.
True story, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune: Daniel Rago, 52, was arrested last Friday at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Ill., after police said he approached the Bears' receiver/return man, slapped him in the back of the head, and simply walked away. Rather than retaliate, Hester notified the casino's security team, which escorted Rago to a holding area until police arrested him on a charge of misdemeanor battery.
"There was no brawl, no melee that drew attention to the situation," Des Plaines Police Chief Jim Prandini said, adding that Hester was "very professional."
Rago posted a $100 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 1. Since he didn't offer any explanation for his alleged actions, allow us to put on our detective hat.
This reeks of a dare, except one thing works against that theory: Do 52-year-old men partake in such childish acts? OK, so if it wasn't a dare, then maybe this was a bold Vikings fan hoping to provoke Hester into getting arrested just before Sunday night's game against Minnesota. Or maybe Rago was just being drunk and stupid, which would make sense since police said he had been drinking.
Whatever the case, Hester definitely deserves a pat on the back for keeping his cool. It's hard to imagine too many other guys could've avoided escalating the situation.
